TARC showcases its wares for the holidays

With the arrival of autumn, residents are invited to kick off their holiday season with the Terrebonne Association for Retarded Citizens at its annual open house.

As always, the open house festival is sure to provide live music, sweets, arts and crafts and the patented Country Store, where TARC gift baskets are sold.

“A lot of people don’t get the opportunity to visit the Country Store,” TARC’s Marketing Director Erica Null said. “We created the Holiday Open House as a way for residents to join us for breakfast or lunch and browse the departments on campus.”

For five years, the open house has showcased the different things TARC provides, as well as affording shoppers the opportunity to purchase gifts.

“The baskets will be filled with a lot of Thanksgiving and fall products like the Sweet Sensations candy treats and the Houma Grown Greenhouse’s pumpkins and poinsettias,” Null said.

Another popular aspect of the open house is the tasting of various homemade treats, salsas, pepper jellies and jams from the agency’s Sweet Sensations Confections shop and Bon Terre salsa enterprises.

“Our candy and salsas have become household names and have opened the door for us to bring in new things for our customers to enjoy,” she said.

This year, TARC has expanded the festivities to include a new sweets department, Le Bon Temps bakery. This new shop has a variety of homemade cakes, muffins, cinnamon rolls and teacakes.

Currently, items from the bakery are being sold at the agency’s gift shop and restaurant. However, by the end of 2008, Null believes the bakery will be a wholesale brand like its Sweet Sensations Confections.

Since, Houma’s annual Art after Dark celebration was canceled this year. TARC will take the open house as an opportunity to exhibit TARC’s La Maison d’art folk artists Paula Lapeyrouse and Florence Naquin.

Santa will also be on hand to greet children of all ages.

Other entertainment that is geared toward the younger crowd includes a pumpkin patch and hayrides around the TARC campus.

TARC’s Bell Choir and Express Band will perform live for visitors, along with the Sunshine Express Daycare.

TARC provides pre-vocational training, vocational training, employment matches, therapy, transportation and residential opportunities for the clients.

“TARC serves clients with a variety of diagnoses and syndromes,” Null said. “More than 1,000 people are supported in TARC and more than 200 of them are employed.”

The Holiday Open House is scheduled for Nov. 8 from 1 to 4 p.m. at TARC restaurant and gift shop on 1353 Grand Caillou Road in East Houma.

For more information, contact Null at (985) 876-4465.